Here's How One Astronaut Describes What A Shuttle Launch Feels Like

Later this month Canadian astronaut Commander
Chris Hadfield will board the Russian Soyuz space shuttle and
make his was to his new home, the International Space Station. In
March he will become the first Canadian to command a spaceship
when takes over leading the crew of the ISS. He will be on the
space station for a total of six months.

Launch is immensely powerful, and you can truly feel yourself in
the centre of it, like riding an enormous wave, or being pushed
and lifted by a huge hand, or shaken in the jaws of a gigantic
dog. The vehicle shakes and vibrates, and you are pinned hard
down into your seat by the acceleration. As one set of engines
finishes and the next starts, you are thrown forward and then
shoved back. The weight of over 4 Gs for many minutes is
oppressive, like an enormous fat person lying on you, until
suddenly, after 9 minutes, the engine shut off and you are
instantly weightless. Magic. Like a gorilla was squishing
you and then threw you off a cliff. Quite a ride :)

He also noted that it's not possible to pass out during the
launch, because you are being pushed into space while lying on
your back, so your blood doesn't end up draining out of your
brain. Also, he said it takes about
15 seconds to go from a sunny day to complete darkness.

When asked how it feels to see Earth from space for the first
time, he wrote:

It feels like someone's revealing a secret to you. Like you're
getting to see something magic for the first time. It feels like
an honour. Like a huge privilege.